First, then, love.

"bite."

We've arrived at the 22nd floor.

The elevator doors opened.

He Zheng strode out, unlocked the door with his fingerprint, and pushed it open.

The God of War was lying on the cushion in the entryway gnawing on a bone when it heard the noise and immediately wagged its tail to come over.

The huge dog head rubbed against He Zheng's leg, whining and whining affectionately.

"Get out of here."

He Zheng gave a cold shout, his voice as cold as ice.

I didn't kick it, but its aura of "keep away" scared the dog so much that it tucked its tail between its legs and scurried back to the balcony.

The princess squatted on the shoe cabinet, looking down at him, and was about to meow.

He Zheng gave them a cold look.

The cat chickened out and leaped away, silently hiding under the bed in the master bedroom.

Shu Yao was changing her shoes behind her and saw the whole thing.

The anger in my heart suddenly surged up.

"Why are you taking your anger out on the dog?"

She placed the brown paper bag she was carrying heavily on the cabinet in the entryway.

It made a muffled sound.

"After being mistreated outside, who are you going to show your attitude to when you come back? Captain He, you have quite the airs."

When she gets angry, her words are like knives, stabbing people in every way possible.

He Zheng took off his rain-soaked hoodie and tossed it onto the sofa.

He turned around, his dark eyes fixed on her.

His chest heaved violently twice.

He looked at her puffed-up face, at her fair neck, and at her cheeks flushed from the heat.

What flashed through her mind was the image of her and that man standing under the umbrella on the street corner just now.

A fire burned wildly in his heart, consuming all his reason.

He wanted to pin her against the wall and kiss her fiercely, to leave his mark on her body in the most brutal way, and to ask her who that pretty boy really was.

But he endured it.

Anger and pride were raging within him.

He sneered, a mocking smile curving his lips.

"Giving you a hard time? Which eye of yours saw me giving you a hard time?"

He turned around, his back to her, and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'm just a rough guy with a bad temper, not as refined as your classmates. If you can't stand it, just bear with it."

His words were barbed and so sour they made your teeth ache.

Shu Yao stood there, stunned.

She watched He Zheng's back as he walked into the kitchen, listening to the sound of running water coming from inside.

He was so angry that he was trembling all over.

That's incomprehensible, he's an utterly incomprehensible lunatic.

He's just an alumnus, why are you being so sarcastic?

Shu Yao ignored him.

I took off my down jacket, changed into slippers, and carried the now-cold coffee back to the living room.

I plopped down on the sofa, turned on the TV, and turned the volume up really high.

*

The whole afternoon.

The air pressure inside the house was extremely low.

The two did not exchange a single word.

He Zheng was looking at his computer in the study.

Shu Yao was watching a variety show in the living room, but she couldn't laugh at all at the funny scenes on the screen.

The sea salt dark chocolate mousse in my hand tasted bitter with every bite.

7 PM.

There was a noise coming from the kitchen.

He Zheng started cooking.

The sound of the cleaver hitting the cutting board was twice as loud as usual.

"Tap, tap, tap."

It's like chopping off the head of an enemy.

Shu Yao sat on the sofa, listening to the sound, feeling agitated.

The meal is ready.

Two dishes and a soup: stir-fried pork slices with green peppers, stir-fried pork kidneys, and seaweed and egg drop soup.

All the dishes were stir-fried over high heat, lacking any sense of refinement.

The two sat across a two-meter-long marble dining table.

No one spoke.

All that remained was the crisp clinking sound of chopsticks hitting the porcelain bowl.

He Zheng ate extremely fast, like a whirlwind, putting a piece of meat into his mouth, chewing it a couple of times, and swallowing it.

The muscles in his jaw bulged as he chewed forcefully, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Shu Yao picked at the white rice in her bowl, but had no appetite.

He ate a couple of bites quickly and then put down his chopsticks.

"I'm stuffed."

She pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Where to?" He Zheng put down his chopsticks without even lifting his eyelids.

"bath."

Shu Yao uttered two words and turned to walk into the master bedroom.

The door slammed shut.

In the master bedroom's bathroom.

The faucet was turned on, and scalding hot water gushed out from the showerhead, instantly creating a large cloud of white mist in the enclosed space.

Shu Yao took off her clothes and stood under the flowing water.

He let the hot water wash over his somewhat stiff body.

My mind is a mess.

He Zheng's cold face, Gu Jinzhi's umbrella, and this sudden icy rain.

Everything was mixed up together.

She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.

In the living room.

He Zheng finished the rice in his bowl in a few bites.

I tossed the dishes into the dishwasher and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

She sank into the soft black leather sofa, her long legs casually crossed and resting on the edge of the coffee table.

He pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, knocked out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

With a "click," the lighter produced a burst of flame.

I hesitated for a moment.

He closed the lighter and tossed the cigarette aside.

He Zheng lowered his head slightly, his gaze inadvertently shifting downwards and landing on the coffee table.

There, Shu Yao's cell phone lay quietly.

She was in such a hurry after taking a shower that she forgot her phone in the living room.

He Zheng never looks at her phone; it's a sign of respect for his wife.

But today, just as his gaze was about to leave.

The phone screen suddenly lit up.

In the dimly lit living room, the brightly lit screen was particularly glaring.

It was accompanied by a slight "humming" vibration.

A new message came in on WeChat.

He Zheng's gaze was fixed on the screen as if it were nailed down.

A message notification is displayed on the lock screen.

The sender's name is clearly stated.

[Gu Jinzhi]

Only three words, yet they were like three sharp knives, piercing straight into He Zheng's eyes.

Below is a preview of the message content.

It's short, just one line.

It was nice to see you today. Let's have dinner together sometime.

He Zheng suddenly paused, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at that name.

To take care of everything.

He rolled those three words on the tip of his tongue and silently repeated them.

Is this the "ordinary alumnus" who held the umbrella for her?

Which classmate you happen to run into will send you a WeChat message at 8:30 pm saying "It's nice to meet you" and even invite you to dinner?

The familiarity in his tone, the tentative and intimate tone that couldn't be hidden between the lines.

Men understand men best.

This guy is clearly interested in his wife!

He Zheng is the captain of the city's special police detachment.

His own wife was invited to dinner via WeChat right under his nose.

He was still being smitten by a pretty boy in a bespoke suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

A surge of violent, malevolent energy instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

He Zheng sat up abruptly and took out his phone.

Unlock and dial.

The phone was answered after only one ring.

"Hey, Captain? A mission so late at night?" Old Li's voice sounded a little surprised on the other end of the phone.

The main lights were not on in the living room.

The only light came from the television screen and the light filtering through the crack in the master bedroom door.

He Zheng leaned back on the sofa, half of his face hidden in the darkness, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Help me look up someone."

He paused, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed the burning anger in his chest.

Each word was spoken slowly and deliberately, each word written with the blood of a thousand tears.

"Gu Jinzhi, Nancheng University..."